Tiger Guards

Chapter 330: Stay or Go
As night fell, Scholar Pei awoke from his drunken stupor.

Zhao Ji invited him to have dinner together. Pei Xiu's eyes were red, as if he had been crying.

After drinking and being blown by the wind, Pei Xiu had a ribbon tightly tied around her forehead, as if this could alleviate the headache caused by being drunk.

He wasn't in the mood to talk and ate in silence.

Seeing his attitude, Zhao Ji said, "Second Brother's temperament is similar to yours and mine. If you speak nicely to him, he will put on airs. If Seventh Brother really wants Second Brother to work with us, I will find a pretext to arrest him and put him in jail. After a few days in jail, he can go back to logging and making bricks. I think he will understand how good you and I are."

Pei Xiu looked up at Zhao Ji: "Are you willing to do that?"

"I'm not familiar with him."

Zhao Ji pinched a rice ball, put it in his mouth, chewed it, and commented, "Alan's cooking skills are not good enough; she still needs to learn."

These are rice balls mixed with raisins, goji berries, and sesame seeds, a way that Zhao Ji doesn't like to eat.

Wait a while longer, and when wild vegetables sprout up in abundance, you'll have to eat wild vegetable and coarse grain dumplings for every meal, enough to make your eyes turn green with envy.

Pei Xiu took a small bite of the rice ball, finding it tasteless and indistinguishable from good or bad, and said, "I know your method is feasible, but this is too much of a waste on Second Brother."

“If we don’t do this, and he joins forces with Lü Bu, Yuan Shao, or takes a position under Liu Biao, how can you feel good about that, Seventh Brother?”

Zhao Ji sipped his tea, his words sharp: "You, me, and he all know that he will be highly valued as soon as he arrives. Besides his talent and reputation, his father and our friendship are also very important factors. After entering officialdom, he will still maintain close ties with Hedong, and even if he doesn't want to, he will still take advantage of these connections."

"So you really want to put him in jail?"

Pei Xiu frowned: "Wouldn't that make us a laughingstock?"

"Don't worry, Seventh Brother, he's not worth it."

Zhao Ji picked up a pitted dried date, intending to eat it, but instinctively felt uncomfortable, so he put it on an empty plate. This definitely wasn't made by Alan; she knew he didn't eat dates.

Zhao Ji picked up a frozen, blackened pear that had thawed, bit into it, and sucked out the sweet pear juice. He said to Pei Xiu, "It's good for him to go outside. If something really happens that threatens our lives, I don't think he'll stand by and watch. If his business grows in the future, my second brother might be able to guide other lost sheep."

Pei Xiu understood Zhao Ji's words, but could only manage a weak smile: "Aji, don't try to comfort me. When the time comes, Second Brother will not bow his head. He will probably die for his honor."

"Wouldn't that be better? Their names would be recorded in history, allowing them to live for thousands of years, which would also benefit the Pei family."

Zhao Ji tossed the scraps into the small wooden bucket beside the table, his patience nearly exhausted: "Give me a straight answer, do you want to keep Second Brother's men, or do you want to grant his wish?"

"Hey~!"

Pei Xiu gritted his teeth, dejected and hanging his head. As an orphan, he was sensitive and very understanding of others.

He naturally understood Pei Qian's predicament. If it were back when they were fighting the White Wave bandits, even if the enemy outnumbered them and the chances of victory were slim, Pei Qian would still have drawn his sword and gone with them.

But now, it's almost impossible to persuade Pei Qian to change his mind.

If he were in his shoes, he wouldn't be so willing either.

Besides being well-fed and clothed and enjoying power and privilege, some people also seek an opportunity to prove and showcase their talents.

A moment later, seeing Zhao Ji wipe his mouth after finishing his meal, Pei Xiu asked in return, "Aji, if you truly care, why ask me and put me in such a difficult position?"

"I came to ask Seventh Brother precisely because I was heartless."

Zhao Ji casually tossed the handkerchief aside and said irritably, "It would actually be more beneficial for him to go outside. If his father were to choose, he would support him anyway."

Pei Xiu's face darkened, but he nodded and said, "Then let's go with Second Brother."

"Hmm, has Seventh Brother's marriage been decided yet?"

Zhao Ji changed the subject, and Pei Xiu remained silent, only looking at him.

Zhao Ji remained calm and said, "At noon, I played chess with the strategist. The strategist first discussed with me the matter of Sun Ce entering Qingzhou. I thought the strategist was farsighted and insightful. Then the strategist talked about Liu Biao in Jingzhou, and I was convinced by him."

Now, Pei Xiu focused his attention: "If that's the case, Lü Bu will definitely not give up easily."

"Now that cooperation benefits both sides, why should I back down in everything?"

Zhao Ji pointed to the direction of Dai County in the north: "Even my own father wouldn't allow it, why would I let him? Just because he's tall?"

In Yingchuan, Zhao Ji, in order to retreat his troops quickly, did not discuss many things in detail with Lü Bu.

For example, Zhao Ji's original plan for Nanyang Commandery was to split it up, either into two or three parts.

However, Lü Bu insisted on handing over the entire Nanyang Commandery to Li Tong in order to win him over.

Zhao Ji's plan was to give half of Nanyang, or give the western part of Nanyang to Li Tong, which would separate Li Tong from nearly half of his followers.

The result was natural: Li Tong chose Lü Bu.

Faced with Lü Bu's generous offer, Zhao Ji did not argue and simply backed down.

Lü Bu wasn't this generous to people like Zhang Liao, Wei Yue, and Gao Shun, but they were willing to be generous to Li Tong. What could Zhao Ji say?
As for what Lü Bu's veteran generals will think after this, that's their business with Lü Bu. Handing over such a large city like Nanyang entirely to Li Tong—will Li Tong get mixed up with the people of Nanyang and Jingzhou…? That's Lü Bu's problem, not his own.

The reason for retreating at that time was to facilitate a smooth withdrawal of troops and avoid getting entangled with Lü Bu.

Now that the withdrawal of troops has been completed, the promotion and land distribution of the army have been finished, and the five battalions have been reorganized, it is natural to settle other scores with Lü Bu.

For example, the two thousand hired knights, when spring began, the Huns also had to return to their tribes to engage in production.

They were hired to fight in order to supplement their family income and earn some extra money, not to risk their lives for any one person.

Either Lü Bu keeps his promise and pays the money, then releases the Xiongnu people and fulfills his vow before recruiting a new batch of loyal knights.

Either Lu Bu forcibly detains them, and they'll never be able to get a single person or horse from here again.

Pei Xiu was not surprised at all by Zhao Ji's quick turn on her.

With so many people to feed, there's not enough to go around. How could there be any extra benefits to give to Lü Bu?
The principle is the same. Zhao Ji treated Lü Bu, his father-in-law, this way because he had to consider the gains and losses of the collective.

Due to strategic or timing constraints, some minor concessions may be necessary.

Now that we're not asking Lu Bu for help, why should we continue to back down?
This was true of Lü Bu, and it was also true of Pei Qian.

Pei Xiu was raised by his mother from a young age. He was just close to Pei Qian, but it wasn't Pei Qian who paid for his upbringing.

As an independent person, Pei Xiu forcefully brought Pei Qian into the picture. The resources that Pei Qian occupied were either taken from others or given up by Pei Xiu himself.

Either way, it's not worth it for Zhao Ji to be the one to act out of personal favoritism.

To allow Pei Qian to cause dissent among many others is clearly inconsistent with Zhao Ji's military philosophy.

Elsewhere, the army is a collective entity, belonging to the imperial court.

Here, everything belongs to the military.

This is the fundamental order that maintains and suppresses all conflicts. Everyone in the military will support Zhao Ji!
Of the original eight hundred elite soldiers, after removing the disabled and those who died in battle, there were still more than three hundred elderly men left, while the other four hundred or so had been transferred to official positions or sent to other places.

The number of Tiger Warriors remained at eight hundred; not a single one had been added.

The army was built upon the eight hundred elite warriors, with the elite warriors naturally forming its core.

Pei Xiu remained silent for a moment, then felt much relieved. He picked up his wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp: "Aji is right. Second Brother didn't mean it that way. If he wants to leave, then let him leave. All I can do is give him a good horse. If we meet on the battlefield in the future, I just hope he can run fast."

“That’s more like it. I’ll give him a horse too.”

Zhao Ji immediately stood up: "I'll go to Alan's place tonight. Seventh Brother, take your time eating. We need to hurry up with the marriage and not delay it. If we don't find someone suitable, we should take a concubine first. My grandfather keeps urging me, and I'm under a lot of pressure. Seventh Brother is the only son in the family, so we shouldn't waste time either."

Pei Xiu simply nodded, hesitated for a moment, but then said, "Shen Tu Gong of Yanmen sent someone to visit my mother. He and my father studied under Grand Commandant Liu Wenrao in their early years and met several times. He wants to establish a marriage alliance with our family to continue our old friendship."

Grand Commandant Liu Kuan was from Hongnong, a prominent family within the imperial clan, similar to the Liu family of Donglai, and was a family of high-ranking officials.

Liu Kuan's students and former officials were spread throughout the Three Auxiliary Regions, Hedong, Taiyuan, and Shangdang. Strictly speaking, when Zhao was on the run, he also mingled among the traveling scholars and listened to their lectures.

Zhao Ji was unsure whether Old Zhao had contributed money or left his name on Liu Kuan's tombstone when Liu Kuan passed away eleven years ago.

Seeing that Shen Tu Bei was so sensible, Zhao Ji said, "Alright, if Seventh Brother is willing, I will ask the strategist to act as matchmaker."

Pei Xiu smiled, then composed herself and said, "My mother doesn't want me to associate with a prominent family, fearing I'll be mistreated in the future. Some people in the village have also come to inquire, and my mother has taken a liking to Hu Wenxu's cousin."

"That one has really long legs?"

Zhao Jilue had some impressions of the daughters of families with some status in the county; he now remembered them all.

Pei Xiu was surprised to hear this: "Did his family also ask about Aji?"

"No, I only vaguely remember this family because they are related to Guan Yu, a general under Liu Bei."

Zhao Ji explained, but Pei Xiu clearly didn't believe him and immediately said, "Then forget it, I'll look for another one. Next year is a crucial time, how can we be distracted by matters concerning our children?"

Zhao Ji said helplessly, "People need to balance work and rest. I also want to have dinner with a woman tonight. I don't enjoy having dinner with Seventh Brother. So it's settled then. I'll ask the strategist, the chief secretary, and Mr. Wenhe to act as matchmakers. I'll pay the betrothal gifts."

Pei Xiu looked at Zhao Ji intently, and Zhao Ji could only force a smile: "His family isn't like that. I also like people with such a clean and strict family style."

Seeing this, Pei Xiucai understood; he simply wanted to marry a wife and didn't want to have any unpleasantness with Zhao Ji.

It's not a question of whether you're afraid or not, it's just that it's not worth it.

Although Wenxi County is very large, weddings bring together many people, so it's not surprising that Zhao Ji knew that woman surnamed Hu.

Especially when the other party has distinctive features, it wouldn't be difficult for Zhao Ji to remember them, given his memory.

(End of this chapter)